Shock-absorber.



P. M. RENNIE.

SHOCK ABSORBBR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 2, 1911.

1,037,052, Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

www T51 5 f FRANK MAXWELL RE'NNVIE, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912'.

Application filed November 2, 1911. Serial No. 658,078.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. RENNIE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Rochelle, in the county of lVestchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Shock-Absorber, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates in general to a shock absorber for taking up shocks between two relatively movable members and is intended more particularly as an improvement in pneumatic shock absorbers for automobiles or other vehicles, whereby the device 1s adapted to cushion sudden relative movements between the traction Wheels and the body of the vehicle.

My invention has for an object, to provide means whereby the movement between the relatively movable parts is restrained during the lastI part of each of the lon(r strokes yet is substantially unrestraine during the first part of said strokes as well as during the shorter strokes.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for taking up the heavy jars independently ot' the means absorbing the relatively slight pulsations. l

I attain the above outlined objects by positioning a piston within a cylinder' partially tilled with oil or other liquid, and extending` through apertures in the head of said piston, a cage formed of a Series of spindles, each of the spindles having a. rcduced waist which will regulate the. fiow of the oil through the passageways in the head, to cushion the movement of the piston relative to the cylinder. Further, I provide within a pocket in the stein of the piston, a series ot steel balls, which balls either form a tortuous passage tor the movement of the oil, or by removing one or more of these balls, they will act as a dam ening means to the oil forced into the poc :et by the collapsing movementof the piston within the cylinder. Y

lVith the above and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed ont in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional View showing a preferred embodiment of my invention; F 1g. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 when the piston has moved to a positionopening communication through its ports.

Described more in detail, I have shown a cylinder 4 having a closure 5 extending through which closure is an aperture 6, by means of which t-he device may be Aattached to one of the movable parts of the vehicle. The opposite end of the cylinder is similarly closed by a cap 7 having a pocket 8 therein, extending through which cap and pocket is a hollow piston rod 9 movably attached to they upper end of which is a ring 10, by means of which the device is attached to the other of the relatively movable parts. The inner end of the piston' rod 9 within the cylinder is enlarged to form a head 11, the diameter of which is slightly less than the internal diameter der 4. Equally spaced about the head ll and extending therethrough parallel wit-h the axis of the cylinder, are a series, in this case shown to be four in number, of cylindrical passageways 12. Extending through each of said passageways and of a len th slightly less than the length of the cylin er, is a spindle 13, the several spindles being fastened together by a spacing plate 14 at the upper and lower ends, to form a cage structure within which movesv the piston rod 11 and the lower portion ot the rod 9. Each of said spindles, intermediate its length, is reduced to form a waist 15, said waist being formed by two cones with an apex common to both, the upper cone. being materially shorter than the lower cone 17. Each spindle 13, above the cone 16, is of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the passageway 12, so that the cage rests open and is supported by the head 11. The lower portion of the spindle 13 below the cone 17, is of the same or slightly less diameter than the diameter of the passageway 12.

The cylinder 4 is partially filled with oil or other liquid to a level som material distance above the normal hig est point of movement' of the head 14 and below the upper spacing plate 14, as more particularlyshown in the drawings. The rod 9 of the cylin- I p arts are has extending therethrough a bore 18, in order to form an auxiliarymeans fortaking up light shocks, said borebeing enlarged a short distance above the to .of the .head 11 tovform an elongated poc et 19, in which. pocketjs disposed aseriesof -spheres 20,;

preferably steel balls, the upperend of which pocketis closed by any suitable means, as, for instance, a threaded 4cap A21jextending parallel with the bore 18 and from a'p'oint adjacent Vthe uppermost ball 2 0," and com# municating Ywith the Huid withiny the cylinder is an escape channel' 22 lconnected with the pocket 19 by a series.4 off spaced apart ports 23.' Any suitable form of packing 24 maybe inserted within the cap surrounding the reciprocating rod.9, and, as shown, the packing is forced into position by a spring 25 bearing upon the top of'the packing and forced intopo'sition by a cap 26 in screw-threaded engagement with a nipple 2'( extending fro-m'the cap 7 and concentrically disposed about the rod9.

Itv i's to be understo'od'that :the several normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the cage restinor on the head 1l. h movable members to approach each other, the piston 9 will tend to sink in the oil or other iiuid, approaching the position shown in section in Fig. 3. This will permit the oil in eect, to rush through the passageways 12, and due to the narrow waisted construction of the shank at 15, relatively little resistance will be offered to the pas# sage of the oil, and the initial relatively vrapid movement will be terrupted, but as the hea the extent "of the opening through which passageway 12 becomes gradually more and more restricted due to the closing eiect of the lower cone 17 until the passagewayl 12 is entirely closed by the lower portion of the spindle 14, closing the entrance. At the same time. the oil or other liquid will be forced up through the bore 18 and the channel 22, and due to the tortuous passage formed by these superimposed balls 20, a resistance is oiered to the passage of the oil, which will counteract to further cushion the shock between the two movable members. If desired, one or more of these balls 20 may be removed and the oil flowing through the bore 18 into the pocket 19 .will

tendto lift the balls 20. The.ports`2 3 afford means by which the oil may iiow rom the pocket 2O into the channel `22, andthereby iiow back into the cylinder .4.

.Having thus described my. invention, I claim as new-and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A shock absorber, comprising a cylinder partially illed withiiuid, a pistonrod movable in said cylinder, a head carriedould a shock cause the relatively (practically unin-i 11 sinks lower,`

by said-piston rod, said head having pg?.

sageways extending f. therethrough on opposite sides of said rod, .anda'ioating cage Vcomprising a -series of solid spindles, one

spindle passing through each of said pasisagewaye, each of said spindles having means for choking the passage of llui through said passageways when said head is forced through the liquid.

2. 4A `shock absorber,comprising a cylinder partially filled with a uid, a piston rod extending into said cylinder, a head within,

vsaid, cylinder rigidly mounted on said rod,

said headfhaving a 'passageway extending therethrou h, and a floating spindle extendlng throng said passageway, Vsaid spindle intermediate its length reduced to form 'a waist, the upper portion of thevwaist being relatively shorter than the lower portion and adapted to gradually close said passageway, to regulate the'flow of fluid therethrough.

3. AA shock absorber, comprising a cylinderpartially filled with. a iuid, a piston rod movable within said cylinder, said piston rod having a `bore extending therethrough, and weighted spheres within said bore rearding the admission of said fluid to said ore. Y

4. A shock absorber,comprisingacylinv der partially lilled with a fluid, a piston rod extendm within one end of said cylinder, said rod avmg a head within said cylinder and passageways extending through the same, anda cage carried by said head, said cagecomprising a plurality of spindles, one spindle ,extending through each of said passageways, said cage being free to move within said cylinder, each of said spindles normally closin lone of said passageways.,v

each of said splndles beingreduced in diameter intermediatev its length and materially below the point where said spindle closes said passageway, said spindle below said reduced portion being of a diameter less than the diameter of the passageway, to permit the head to move to the bottom of the cage.

5. A shock absorber, comprisinga cylinder, a piston rod reciprocating through one end of said "cylinder, the end of the rod within the cylinder terminating in an enlarged head, a bore extending within said rod from said head, -said bore being enlarged to form a pocket, and aseries of balls within said pocket, whereby the movement of the head through said cylinder will rforce the liquid in the cylinder into said pocket, to raise the balls.

6. A .hoek bsorber comprising a cylinder, apiston rod reciprocating through one yend of said cylinder, the Vend of the rod Within the cylinder terminating in an enlarged head, a bore extending within said rod from said head, said'bore being enlar ed to form a' pocket, a' series. of balls 'wit in said pocket, whereby the movement of the head through said cylinder will force thel liquid in the cylinder into said pocket, to raise the balls, and a channel within said rod and parallel with said pocket, said channel having anC outlet into said cylinder, whereby the fluid within said pocket may escape into said cylinder.

7. A shock absorber, comprising a cylinder, a hollow rod reciprocating in said cylinder, a head within said cyllnder carried by said rod, means carried by said head regulating the passage of a fluid through said head to take up shocks of one character, and steel balls disposed in said rod regulating the admission of the fluid to said rod, thereby forming an auxiliary shock absorber to take up shocks of a different character.

8. A shock absorber, comprisin a cylinder, a piston head movable in sai cylinder, said head havin passageways extending therethrough, and a iioating cage having members positioned in said passageways and adapted to radually close the same.

9. A shoo absorber, comprising a cylinder, a piston rod reciprocating through one end o said cylinder, the end of the rod within the cylinder terminating in an enlarged head, a bore extending within said rod fromA said head, said bore being enlarged to forma pocket, a series of balls within said pocket, whereby thel movement Ci" the head through said cylinder lwill force the liquid in the cylinder into said pocket to raise. the balls, and an-escape channel placing said pocket in fluid connection with said cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this lspeciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK MAXWELL RENNIE.

Witnesses:

EDGAR M. PHELPS, K. CHISHOLM, Jr. 

